


Mirrors

by RhysieRain



Series: No Piano [2]
Category: Hello From The Hallowoods (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Canon Trans Character, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhysieRain/pseuds/RhysieRain
Summary: A continuation of The Lord Work's in Mysterious Ways; IE Diggory and Percy discuss forgiveness and loving yourself
Relationships: Diggory Graves/Percy Reed
Series: No Piano [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2200743
Kudos: 4





	Mirrors

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again to the HFTH server for being lovely <3 Also TW for mention of transphobia +dysphoria

In living at the Reed house, Diggory had discovered a close kinship with Percy. It was something before now they never could’ve imagined having. Not after being lonely for so long. Yet at first, for a small moment, Diggory had thought that being with people could not help their loneliness. The first few weeks of living here they had in fact never felt more isolated. Percy was standoffish at first and sometimes downright nasty; Diggory understood why now, but then it had seemed cruel. It had felt like fate was tempting them with a friend, someone who they could be close to, only to snatch it away by making them mean.

For the first weeks or so Percy hadn’t spoken. He simply chose to turn his nose up to Diggory and ignore them. When Diggory tried to speak, he would stare intensely in silence or if Diggory had said his Other name he would tell him off for it. The house was desolate enough as it was, without Percy ignoring them. They had grown used to only hearing the noise of the Revenants working below. Later, as Percy grew used to Diggory’s presence as a silent watcher, he had lashed out more. The silence had been replaced with insults that grew worse and worse the closer it got to Solomon’s usual return date.

Nevertheless, things had changed, and they had blossomed into friends, maybe more. But the hurt still burrowed deep in Diggory’s chest weighing them down. They hadn’t realised what it was at first, feelings still a stranger to them. But they realised that the pain grew worse when they passed the mirror in Percy’s room or when Percy stroked his fingers along their face. It was like they could still hear the cutting words echoing in their head. That they were nothing more than a ragged corpse, an unnatural being thrust upon Percy.

Looking in the dusty vanity mirror, Diggory inspected their face carefully. It truly was monstrous. Their eyes were a dull milky white, unseeing, and yet seeing, and their coarse hair flopped forwards along their forehead. A seam ran across their nose cutting their face in two. The top skin was redder and almost a burnt colour whilst the lower half was a sallow yellow, black threads looping the sides together. Their nose looked almost strange because of it; a softer sloping bridge connected to a larger almost hooked end. Their lips were as black as ash and only barely still felt like lips.

As they inspected carefully, Percy sloped over to them. His arms curled around one of their ~~freakishly long~~ arms and he slotted himself next to Diggory. Percy eyed them thoughtfully.

“What are you so deep in thought about?” He asked curiously and Diggory shrugged.

“It’s nothing.” They replied, cracked teeth biting at their lip.

“No, it isn’t.” Percy frowned “I’m not stupid y’know? I’ve seen you avoid the mirror this week.”

Diggory turned away from it yet again. Once more avoiding it. Percy crossed his arms and levelled them with a fierce stare.

“Tell me what’s wrong Diggory.” He said and Diggory felt the burning sensations within their eyes. They couldn’t _actually_ cry. None of the revenants should be able to cry. But the face they pulled when they felt like they would was obvious.

Percy looked in worry. He then carefully took Diggory’s claw and lead him to sit on the bed. He perched next to him and stared anxiously.

“No secrets Diggory.” He warned lightly “We’re in this together, remember?”

Diggory clutched his hands like a lifeline and spoke.

“I can’t stop thinking about before. When you called me those words?” They said.

“What words…?”

“Freak. Ugly.“ Diggory just barely whispered. “Monster.”

“Diggory- “

“They made my chest hurt then. But I said I forgave you.” They continued. “But the pain is still there. It comes back when you say nice things. Or when I see myself in the mirror and realise that you’re right.”

“But I wasn’t right!” Percy said fiercely “Not about anything horrid.”

“But you said them. You must’ve meant them- “

“It wasn’t true Diggory.” Percy said desperately, turning Diggory to look him in the eyes. “Listen. I said those things to be mean and hurtful and I succeeded. That doesn’t mean what I said was true or that you should believe it.”

  
  
“Or that you should forgive me.”

“But-“ Diggory began. “You said sorry. So, I did forgive you. But it still hurts.”

Percy gave them a sad feeble smile at this point.

“Then you didn’t actually forgive me, silly.” Percy said, “You just said so to make me feel better.”

Percy carefully took Diggory’s face with his hand and pulled them to look into his eyes.

“I can’t go back and not do that. But I will try and make it up to you and prove what I said wrong until it doesn’t hurt anymore.” He whispered “Here.”

Gently, Percy slipped his hand round and Diggory felt his fingers along the side of their cheek, stroking both parts of their two-toned face at once.

“I like this part of your face and this part of your face.” He said, his fingers dancing between them “Both are beautiful and a part of you. Just like every patch of skin you have.”

He continued on going back to the seam. Now Percy traced along the dip between the skin with his fingernails, the palm of his hand brushing Diggory’s jaw.

“I like this seam here. It gives you character.” He said next, another hand tracing along Diggory’s arm “I like all these ones too. Each seam tells a story and is a piece of who you are.”

Now his thumb brushed against the individual stitches, catching slightly on the hardy thread.

“I especially like every stitch here. Every single one of them is wonderful and they hold you together so you can stay here with me.”

Percy huffed out a sigh and gave Diggory a quivering smile.

“I didn’t appreciate you when we met. And by that, I mean who you are and what you’ve been through. And how each part of you tells a beautiful story.” He carried on “But now it isn’t important that I know this. It’s important that you know it too and you can love yourself for who you are.”

Diggory’s face was crumpling as they put a hand over Percy’s and clutched it close.

Percy breathed in heavily for a moment before continuing.

“Being me, I have felt the same way. Well not exactly the same. But I’ve had that feeling of loathing and sadness that I’m not what someone wants me to be or that I’m not good enough for them. And that because of that I’m not worth anything and that I need to change.”

“The dysphoria made it worse for a while. It’s hard to see the good and beauty in who you are when you don’t even look like yourself yet. But then one day it clicked. Because I got exhausted and weary of that feeling. Even if parts of me aren’t quite right and I want to change them, even if dysphoria makes it hard to look in the mirror, I realised it was important that I could still look in the mirror and love me for me.”

“That I could look and see past it and see my soul first. And that I was beautiful and worth something just by existing for me and not for anyone else. It did take time to build that confidence up but I got there and I haven’t felt the same since.”

He brought his hand down and still clutched at Diggory’s possessively.

“And I want you to feel like that too.”

Diggory nodded at that, almost in stunned silence. They found their thumb stroking over the back of Percy’s hand in a comforting manner.

“I understand.” They rumbled quietly. “I do not know if I can reach that point. But I will try. For you.”

Percy dipped his head in acknowledgement. There was still a quiet look of guilt vibrating over his face and Diggory found themselves sweeping Percy into a tight hug. It was in a way unusual for Diggory. Though they were no stranger to affection, at least receiving it from Percy in this way, initiating was another thing. Diggory wasn’t made to be comforted or to need affection and contact. But yet they did. The aching gnawing of loneliness that still resided in their soul was demanding. And as they held Percy close, they realised that the contact between them wasn’t just for Percy’s sake. It was for Diggory’s too.

They sat like that for what felt like minutes, hours, days. A lifetime. Eventually Percy pulled back and Diggory found that their shirt had been soaked with tears. Percy’s eyes were still slightly red as he sniffled and wiped the drying salt from his cheeks. Diggory realised for a second that their own face felt moist too. They patted their cheek and inspected their now damp fingers in surprise. They didn’t realise they could do that. They were distracted as Percy looked up at them, tears still in his eyes Diggory couldn’t help but lean in. They moved forward and kissed the top of his head, their larger arms curling around his form again briefly to tuck him close.

“Do not feel bad anymore.” They stated. “I know that you are sorry.”

Percy gave them a watery smile and nodded. They curled back from the bed to face the room and leaned their head on Diggory’s shoulder. Diggory pushed their head to the side to rest against Percy’s. And so, they resumed the quiet and mutual love and understanding they had for each other.


End file.
